towpath

American

[toh-path, -pahth] / ˈtoʊˌpæθ, -ˌpɑθ /

noun

a path along the bank of a canal or river, for use in towing boats.

towpath British

/ ˈtəʊˌpɑːθ /

noun

Also called: towing path. a path beside a canal or river, used by people or animals towing boats

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

towpaths

plural

Etymology

Origin of towpath

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90; tow ¹ + path

Vocabulary lists containing towpath

"Against Nature," Vocabulary from the argument

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The towpath runs alongside the County Down village.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

A former British soldier accused of escaping prison "congratulated" a police officer on catching him after he was stopped on a west London canal towpath, a court has heard.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2024

He was arrested on a canal towpath in west London three days later.

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2024

Police said he was arrested by a plain-clothes counter-terrorism officer four days after his alleged escape while riding a bike along a canal towpath in Northolt, west London.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2024

At fourteen dollars a month, his duties included controlling the mules along the canal’s towpath as they pulled the boat, which was loaded with supplies such as lumber, coal, iron, or copper ore.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023